


Bloom

by orphan_account



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV), Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
Genre: ;), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Best Friends, Brad is not an asshole, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Mush, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Romantic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 05:53:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10758066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Everyone is born with a flower that is identical to their soulmate's, and when both people acknowledge that they cherish each other the flower will blossom wholly.orClay recognizes that Tony is his soulmate, but Tony does not.





	Bloom

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small soulmate prompt that I saw on Tumblr, and I wanted to do a Clony fic on it :)

From the moment Clay Jensen was born, he was enchanted with the idea that everyone had someone that would love them unconditionally, and that the love the two shared was symbolized by a delicate flower. He would always love to gently touch the flowers that both of his parents were adorned with.

 

\--------

 

   His mother had a bright blue Hydrangea that matched the color of his eyes sprouting out of her neck, and he would always encourage her to wear a high ponytail that showcased the beautiful flower that her body was embellished with. His father, on the other hand, had his Hydrangea on the inside of his arm. Clay would always gaze longingly at the flowers whenever his parents would stand side by side, wondering what his soulmate would be like. He had a rather tiny bud on the inside of his wrist that was nothing to compare to what his other classmates were adorned with. He had tried opening up the bud by force with a pen when he was in kindergarten just to try and get a glimpse at what color the petals would be like, but the bud never budged. He glowered when it stayed the same, staring daggers at the green bulb that was holding his gorgeous flower captive. Unfortunately, the teacher caught him in the act, bringing him outside of the bustling classroom to scold him for his behavior. Clay just furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her with genuine confusion as she continued rambling about the importance of making sure that the bulb opens naturally. She huffed, gesturing towards the bright pink Azalea showcased on her ankle. When Clay continued to stare at her, she crouched down to his level and explained in detail.

 

"The bud will only bloom when you and your soulmate realize you love each other," she explained slowly, making sure the young boy soaked up every word. "It is very bad to force it because then you will never know who your soulmate truly is, Clay."

 

Clay's expression softened when he looked down at his wrist, bringing it up to his mouth and apologizing to it. The teacher only laughed and gestured for him to come back into the classroom and join the other screaming toddlers. When they entered, though, they both noticed that something was not right. All the children were huddled into the corner of the room, jumping and screaming. They were circling two boys who were staring at each other with a look of awe that had engulfed their faces and their mouths hanging open. The one kid who was not screaming was furiously pointing at the yellow Marigold that was sluggishly opening on the other boy's right shoulder. The teacher cupped her hands over her mouth and dragged the two boys to the front of the class, who were now throwing goofy smiles at each other. By the time everyone had taken their seats, the two had a pink blush dusting their cheeks and still had their wide eyes glued to each other. The teacher clapped a haphazard rhythm to get the kids' attention before speaking up.

 

"As everyone can see here, Justin and Alex have already bloomed! This is what happens when two people figure out that they love each other, no matter what race or gender!" She exclaimed as the children nodded and cooed from at their desks. "Be careful, though, the flowers are very young and delicate at this age. No horseplaying!"

 

She shot a warning look at Bryce as she said that before ushering Justin and Alex towards the office so they could tell their parents the big news. As soon as she left everyone quickly formed back into their individual cliques, chatting and gossiping amongst themselves about the scene that had just unfolded in front of them. Clay sat awkwardly in his seat, pretending to read a random book as everyone else talked. He was a bashful kid who kept to himself, so he did not have many playmates if any at all. He was genuinely getting into the book before a small figure approached him, and tapped him on the shoulder. Clay looked up to meet the deep brown eyes of a small Latino boy with a tiny grin gracing his features,

 "Hi, my name's Tony!" He said quickly, his smile widening even more by each word that flew out of his mouth. Clay waved sheepishly at the boy who was now practically beaming at him. Clay made a quick mental note that the smile suited him. "I saw you didn't have anyone to talk to, and neither do I... What do you wanna talk about?"

 "Where's your flower?" He asked excitedly, rolling up his sleeves and fully exposing his arm. He jabbed a finger at the small bud on the inside of his wrist. Tony's eyes widened as he also rolled up his sleeve, pointing at his elbow. Clay craned his head to examine the other boy's skinny arm, and sure enough, there was a light green bulb on the very tip of his elbow. Clay shifted excitedly in his seat, rambling on about his favorite movies and toys. Tony stared at him during the duration of his rambling session, nodding and laughing along with him. Despite Tony rarely chiming in, Clay found his presence calming. Just him being there immediately made Clay feel all warm inside, which confused him, but he was not complaining. He realized early on that even Tony's small smiles were contagious, making Clay fully burst out into a grin. This only made Tony smile wider, and the smiling game continued until the two boys were a giggling mess. The other kids shot them confused looks but the duo honestly did not care. They were in their own little bubble that was disconnected from the outside world, and the only thing they cared about in that moment was each other. Their positive moment was unexpectedly clipped short when the teacher bust through the door, a blushing Justin and Alex in tow. Tony and Clay quickly sobered up, but Clay allowed himself to let out a few more giggles at the sight of Tony scrambling to get into his seat, which was unfortunately across the room from Clay's. Throughout the lesson, they still managed to beam at each other occasionally, only to make the other person smile. After the lesson was over, Tony made his way through the sea of kids who were equally as hyper as him to get to Clay's desk. 

"Do you want to come over to my house and meet my siblings?" He asked, practically jumping up and down at the idea. Clay frowned, shaking his head as he explained that his mom was picking him up. Tony's smile faltered before he outstretched his hand to Clay. "So, friends?"

"No."

Tony's face fell completely as he withdrew his hand and stiffly put his hand back at his side. He opened his mouth to apologize to Clay before he cut him off.

"Best friends," Clay finished, pulling Tony into a quick embrace before he bounded out the door to his mom's car. Tony felt his face flush as he waved and watched Clay enter the vehicle and speed away.

\-----------------------------------------------

 **Highschool**  

"You have got to be kidding me," Clay groaned, throwing his head back and hitting against the seat. Tony only smiled in response, keeping his eyes on the road as they approached Clay's house. "How is that even possible? I swear to God, Alex and Justin have broken up more times than I have watched the whole Star Wars series!"

Tony just chuckled softly, pulling up into the Jensen's driveway. When he finally tore his eyes away from the road he was met with bright blue eyes waiting anxiously for him to say something. Tony tried not to flush under Clay's unique gaze. Whenever he looked at Tony he looked like he was trying to memorize every aspect of the other boy's face, and honestly, it was positively flattering. No one else ever studied Tony with utmost determination until he met Clay in kindergarten.  "Maybe they are just not meant to be," Tony said finally, turning his head towards the window. He heard Clay scoff and shuffle around in the seat next to him. 

"Tony, they literally have identical flowers _attached_ to their goddamn bodies by 'true love' or some shit because they are legitimately destined to be together," Clay commented, his statement laced with sarcasm as he swiftly elbowed Tony in the ribs. Tony shrugged, not meeting Clay's gaze. "You do not have to be soulmates to like someone," Tony responded, "just look at me and Brad."

Clay's expression soured at the mention of Tony's current boyfriend. Brad was not an overall bad guy, but there was something deep inside Clay that was aching to take his place. Clay scowled and buried the feelings somewhere deep inside him. Those types of feelings were reserved especially for his soulmate, not his best friend. This didn't stop the bulb on the inside of his wrist from aching slightly whenever Tony flashed him a genuine smile or when he enveloped Clay in a tight embrace whenever he started tearing up on the topic of Hannah's suicide that happened only a few months ago. Despite these reoccurring signs that Tony might be his soulmate, Clay discarded the idea altogether. If Tony really was his soulmate, both of them would have bloomed by now. Clay's mind flashed back to the memory of his kindergarten talking to him in detail about soulmates.

_' The bud will only bloom when you and your soulmate realize you love each other,' she explained slowly, making sure the young boy soaked up every word. 'It is very bad to force it because then you will never know who your soulmate truly is, Clay.'_

_when you and your soulmate realize you love each other,_ Clay thought,  _so Tony is my soulmate but my own fucking soulmate doesn't even love me back._

Clay popped back into reality at the feeling of someone gripping his shoulders, shaking him gently. Clay blinked trying to focus and recollect his thoughts when he noticed a concerned Tony Padilla shaking him. Tony let out a relieved sigh when Clay gave him a tight-lipped forced smile and explained that he had just zoned out in order to calm Tony's nerves. "You scared me there for a second, you nerd," Tony teased as he opened the car door, allowing for Clay to step out of the vehicle. He childishly stuck out his tongue at Tony who only laughed in response as they entered the house in a companionable silence that drifted between them effortlessly. They both waved to Clay's parents who were making dinner in the kitchen before racing up the stairs to Clay's room. They stayed quiet as both of them flung their backpacks onto Clay's mattress and did their homework, trying their best not to break the other out of their concentration. Eventually, the silence became too much for Clay to handle, as he itched to strike up a conversation with the other boy.

"Is it possible for your soulmate to not love you back?" Clay blurted out unexpectedly, as Tony raised an eyebrow and slammed his textbook shut. When Clay did not elaborate, Tony gestured for him to keep going, eagerly waiting for the taller boy to continue. "Like, is it possible to be certain that you know who your soulmate is, but they don't like you back?"

Tony sighed, leaning in so he could get closer to Clay. He had to use all his self-control not to blush and ignored the way his inner wrist throbbed at the sudden contact. "Like you said," Tony responded, "you and your soulmate are doomed to be together eventually. Maybe they just haven't realized their feelings or maybe they ignore them," he finished quietly. Clay shot him a perplexed glance.

"Why would they ignore their feelings?"

"Well, maybe they think the feelings aren't requited after dropping hints for years," Tony stated bitterly as he frowned acidulously. Clay's heart pounded against his ears, even if his mind was screaming that he could be talking about Brad or someone else. Clay ignored the nagging voice as he leaned in even closer, his forehead inches away from Tony's as he met his gaze and stared into his deep brown eyes that glowed under the sunlight streaming in from the window.

"Well, what should I do then, Padilla?" Clay murmured softly, warm breath hitting Tony's cheek. He swore he heard the other boy's breath hitch in his throat as his cheeks gradually got redder, even if it was just for a split second. Tony stared into Clay's bright blue eyes that were now dancing with amusement. 

"Prove to them that you love them."

"How do I do that?"

"Oh for the love of God, Jensen, kiss me already and stop asking cryptic questions," Tony groaned, pushing his lips against Clay's softer ones. Clay grinned into the kiss as a tingling sensation erupted from his body, trailing down to his wrist. He broke the kiss hesitantly to stare down at his wrist, but luckily when he looked up Tony had already rolled up his jacket sleeve and was staring at his elbow in curiosity. Clay had to fight back a grin, as Tony looked like a confused cat before a burning sensation took control of his wrist. He gritted his teeth and stared at the bud that had cracked open, letting a sliver of a petal slip out of the green cocoon. It was a single delicate violet petal, that felt smooth to the touch as Clay gently ghosted his fingers on it. He looked up to see that Tony was already staring at him, his pupils transfixed on the individual petal. He outstretched his right hand and hovered it over Clay's wrist. "Can I touch it?" He rasped, looking Clay dead in the eyes. He nodded slowly in response as Tony tenderly ran his fingers over the flower, causing another wave of pain to hit him. Before his very eyes, the bulb opened fully, revealing a single deep violet rose that complimented his pale skin tone. Tony gasped as Clay reached over and ran his hands over Tony's unopened bulb, allowing it to open fully. 

"It's a rose," Tony whispered, more to himself than to Clay. Clay laughed at the dumbfounded look on Tony's face before he pulled the other boy into a chaste kiss. "Hannah would kill us for our flowers being roses," Clay commented, stretching and walking towards the door. Tony raised an eyebrow as Clay explained that he was going to show his parents his flower. 

"Are they ok with your soulmate being your kindergarten best friend?"

"I'm pretty sure they already think we're dating," Clay scoffed, earning a laugh out of Tony. Panic flashed in his eyes for a moment as Tony gulped, looking into Clay's eyes. "On the topic of dating, what are we now? I am technically still with Brad," He sighed, trailing his fingers down towards his elbows. Clay returned from the door to plop down right next to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I guess we'll see, but definitely dump Brad, I think you know someone who can fit the spot of boyfriend way better than he can," Clay said reassuringly, finishing off the sentence with an exaggerated wink. Tony rolled his eyes at him, elbowing him in his ribs like Clay did in the car with the elbow that didn't have his flower on it. 

"Whatever, Jensen, now get your ass downstairs and tell your parents about your soulmate being some shorty with oily hair and a leather jacket."

"Will do, Padilla. Will do," Clay said, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him downstairs. Clay's parents were already squealing with delight halfway through the explanation, and Tony couldn't help but grin as Clay's parents enveloped them in a group hug.

I _wouldn't mind if this became the norm for me,_ Tony thought as he eyed Clay's genuine smile, _I wouldn't mind at all._

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write!  
> If you liked this one check out my other Clony fic by tapping on my profile ;)
> 
> Kudos and comments are heavily appreciated!  
> Feel free to point out any typos, English is not my first language so it might be choppy :"^)


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